Year 3 -6th October 2026 – Faial -Azores – the most Western Point of Europe
We woke at a reasonable time and it was a lovely sunny day and remained so the whole day which made this island look so beautiful. David, Mark and I had banana pancakes for breakfast which was nice. We then tidied up and waited for the engineer from Mid-Atlantic Services to arrive.
He came about 9.30am and moved the gyro compass (EV1) from the medical cupboard to the cupboard next to a cupboard near my bunk. The reason for doing this was because it should always be at least half a metre from metals and other electronics as it could interfere with the autopilot particularly when the VHF was being used. Once moved we will have to check the calibration tomorrow. He also had a look at the hatch in the bunk room and put some more sealant on so hopefully that will cure the leak.
In the meantime Mark had continued with his murial of Stormbird on the quay. This is the picture of the day and David described it as “Mark making his mark!”). This is a piece of history we are leaving behind.
Once these jobs had all been done we (Mark, David, Mark & I) decided to go for a swim. We walked over to Pinto Pim beach and had some snacks at a little bar there. We then all had a swim the bay off the beach. It was a bit cold to start with but we soon got used to it. It was very clear water and we had a good swim.
Mark and I returned to Stormbird as the engineer was coming back at 2.00pm. He was fixing the wire and checking the compass worked in the new position and it worked and we will need to calibrate it.
David and Mark went off to a walk around the caldera and area. I sorted out some more things and then had a rest.
As we were waiting and resting a large Ketch came in and on to the harbour wall. It was called Open Arms, a sailing ketch operated by the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms called Astral, a 30-meter steel-hulled yacht used for maritime surveillance, search-and-rescue missions, and humanitarian deliveries.
In addition to her sailing capability, Astral has motor power from two 300hp Caterpillar diesel engines. Her speed is given as 10knots (cruising) and 12knots (maximum); her beam is 7.22m and her draught 4.1m Prior to conversion for rescue operations, she had been refitted in 2009. Astral featured in a documentary which was recorded on board during the same month that MSH received her by Jordi Évole for Salvados, directed by Évole for Atresmedia Televisión. The box office takings from the documentary, shown at cinemas throughout Catalunya before being broadcast on TV, were earmarked in their entirety. On one day in August 2016, Astral took on some 200 refugees. A year later, formally announcing their support for Proactiva Open Arms, the Eugin [es] Group described Astral as a 'flagship' for the rescue of refugees. In August 2019, the Astral was reported to have saved 157 persons on a single mission. At the end of 2016, Astral was augmented by the acquisition by POA of Golfo Azzurro, a fishing trawler 43 metres in length and 8 metres beam. However MSH continued to use the Astral in the Mediterranean, and in June 2020 when Astral returned to POA activity in the Mediterranean, Òscar Camps, head of MSH, tweeted that 2020 would be Astral's fourth year in the Mediterranean.
A large superyacht also came in with 815 on the front with the name Sherpa.
Sherpa is a 73.6-meter (242-foot) custom explorer motor yacht built by the Dutch shipyard Feadship and launched in 2018. Owner: British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe (INEOS founder). Length: 73.6 meters (241.6 feet). Gross Tonnage: 1,802 GT. Hull: Steel displacement hull with an industrial, unfaired aesthetic and exposed welding. Performance: Powered by twin MTU 16V 4000 M53R engines; cruising speed of 13 knots, top speed of ~15.7 knots, and a range of over 5,200 nautical miles. Capacity: Accommodates 7 to 13 guests across 6–7 staterooms and a crew of up to 22. Notable Equipment: Equipped with large boom cranes (up to 20m) for deploying heavy tenders, an onboard helipad, and a large tender/vehicle garage.
Funny how these random boats come in. Mark and I waited and Keith Winstanley messaged that he was on his flight and would land about the same time as David had yesterday. He landed and caught a cab and I met him at the taxi rank again. We then all went out to Oceanic a restaurant nearby. We had a good meal and returned to Stormbird for a nightcap. We just have Keith Watson to arrive on the 8th and then we should bee ready to go.
The picture of the day is the murial Mark had designed and made for Stormbird. This is our piece of history we are leaving behind.
Need/Opportunity Year Three
I am now at the Azores and hope to head back to the UK on about 9 October 2026. At present I am full for the final passage back to the UK with some old veterans returning David Mark, Keith Watson (Watty) and of course Keith Winstanley -the Commodore.
The blog will continue as we continue the journey. If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog then do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com